Takehisa Yumeji

Takehisa's grave at Zôshigaya Cemetery in Tokyo

• Born: 1884/9/16
• Died: 1934/9/1
• Other Names: 竹久茂次郎 (Takehisa Shigejirô)
• Japanese: 竹久夢二 (Takehisa Yumeji)

Takehisa Yumeji was a prominent painter of the Taishô period.

Takehisa was born on September 16, 1884, in Honjô village, Oku district, Okayama prefecture, as Takehisa Shigejirô. In 1901, he left home for Tokyo, and enrolled in the Waseda Vocational School (Waseda jitsugyô gakkô) the following year. After completing his general degree, he continued on to a specialist course, and joined the Hakubakai (White Horse Association) Western-style painting (yôga) group. He soon began to have small illustrations featured in a number of publications, including the Tokyo nichi-nichi shinbun newspaper.

He first began using the name "Yumeji" in June 1905, in the credit for some magazine illustrations. Collections of his works soon began to be published; Takehisa Yumeji began to be known as an artist in his own right, and not only as a tiny credit under newspaper or magazine illustrations. In 1912, the Kyoto Prefectural Library held the first exhibition dedicated to his artworks. Two years later, the Minato-ya department store at Nihonbashi (in Tokyo) began selling everyday items featuring art nouveau designs by Takehisa.

The second exhibition dedicated to works by Takehisa opened in 1918, and included not only oil paintings, but also folding screen paintings, Nihonga, and works in pastels.

Takehisa set out on a trip to the United States and Europe in 1931, but fell ill and returned to Japan two years later. He died of tuberculosis on September 1, 1934, at the Fujimikôgen Sanatorium in Nagano prefecture. He is buried in the Zôshigaya Cemetery in Tokyo.

References

• Plaque at grave of Takehisa Yumeji, in Zôshigaya Cemetery, Tokyo.[1]